HBO's Nikki Finke-inspired pilot "Tilda" was scrapped by the network earlier this year, but the Atlantic got ahold of part of the script, publishing it late last week.
Below, a scene from the first draft — written by Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls") and Cynthia Mort ("Tell Me You Love Me") — in which the Finke character (played by Diane Keaton) is on the phone with a fictional L.A. Times reporter ("Brian Sheen") who is interviewing her for a profile.
Finke gave the show her blessing, but says she had no involvement in the script itself.
You can kind of see why HBO killed it.
